Oct. 31, 2015
DAYTON, Ohio -
San Diego State-Wright State Final Box
San Diego State traveled to the Eastern Time Zone and earned a 3-0 non-conference victory over Wright State. The Aztecs evened their record to 7-7-2, while the Raiders dropped to 9-6-1 on the season.
SDSU handed the 2014 Horizon League finalists their worst home loss in more than three years when Niagara beat Wright State by the same score on Sept. 14, 2012 (span of 1,142 days). The Aztecs also hung a shutout loss on WSU for the first time since a 1-0 double-overtime setback earlier this year on Sept. 22.
San Diego State was able to accomplish the aforementioned feats thanks to an efficient attack and stellar defensive play. The Aztecs' three goals came on six shots on goal and nine attempts overall.
Aleks Berkolds got the visitors on the scoreboard first when his header tickled the twine in the 27th minute off an assist from Jeroen Meefout. The goal was a good sign of things to come as the Aztecs entered the game 5-2 this season in contests where they scored first. For Berkolds, the goal was his first of the year and the assist was Meefout's third.
SDSU carried the 1-0 advantage into and out of halftime and the score remained the same until the 61st minute when Brady Blackwell found Rene Reyes for his team-best sixth goal of 2015. The assist was Blackwell's first of the season.
Later in the 78th minute, tri-captain Casey Macias put the game out of reach with his third goal of the season. From there, like previous 77 minutes, the Aztecs' defense answered the bell each time Wright State threatened to strike and recorded its sixth shutout of the year.
The anchor of the defense, goalkeeper Adam Allmaras, finished the night with a game-high 10 stops, which was one shy of tying his career high. The clean sheet, meanwhile, was his fifth of the season, which was impressive considering the Raiders had 16 shots (10 on goal) and nine corner kicks.
Individually, the Aztecs were led by Reyes' four shots and the senior forward shared team-high honors with two shots on goal along with Berkolds.
The Aztecs return to action on Friday, Nov. 6, when they welcome Pac-12 foe Washington to SDSU Sports Deck. The first of three straight games to close the regular season is set for a 7 p.m. PT start. Admission is free.
MAN OF THE MATCH ââ'¬" The Man of the Match is assistant coach Ziggy Korytoski. The first-year assistant coach drew up the perfect game plan to stifle a Wright State club that had not been shut out in more than a month and had been averaging 2.0 goals per game over its last 10 outings. Korytoski's scheme also allowed SDSU to hand the Raiders their worst home defeat in 1,142 days.